Atwal was a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation, a banned terrorist group in Canada and India, when he was convicted of the attempted murder of an Indian cabinet minister. He was one of four men who ambushed and shot Malkiat Singh Sidhu in a car on Vancouver Island in 1986. Sidhu was wounded.
Atwal was also convicted in an automobile fraud case and was charged, but not convicted, in connection with a 1985 attack on Ujjal Dosanjh, a staunch opponent of the Sikh separatist movement's push for an independent Sikh state of Khalistan. Dosanjh went on to become premier of British Columbia and a federal cabinet minister.
Wednesday afternoon Trudeau met with Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh who
has repeatedly accused the Trudeau government and several of his cabinet ministers of being Khalistani sympathizers. Khalistan is the name of the independent Sikh state sought by some members of the Sikh community.
Trudeau told Singh Canada supports a united India and said he would look into concerns financing for Sikh separatist extremists was coming out of Canada, and Singh was happy with the meeting. Singh has not yet responded to the news Atwal was part of this trip.
Tensions between Canada and India have risen in recent years over Indian concerns about a rise in Sikh extremism coming from some of Canada's Sikh communities. Trudeau's appearances at some Sikh events where extremist supporters also showed up caused unhappiness in India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has raised the issue with Trudeau several times and it likely will come up again when the two leaders meet Friday in Delhi.
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